Σχόλια 0

Το κείμενο του εγγράφου

A REPORT TO BE PRESENTED AT THE RIO+20 UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCEON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL, 15–

22 JUNE 2012

7th

June

2012

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) acknowledges the contributions ofall the stakeholders who participated in the preparation of this report. Members of themultisectoral National Preparatory Core Team are thanked for their invaluable guidance andinput given to the report. NEMA is grateful to all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies thatprovided the thematic and national consultants with the information and data that informed thereport preparation.

Theconsultants

who compiled the thematic and synthesis report areappreciated for the work done.

Special gratitude is extended to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs(UNDESA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for mobilizing financialresources that enabled the preparation of this report.

Bordered by the Republic of South Sudan in the north, the Democratic Republicof Congo in the west, Republic of Kenya in the East, and United Republic ofTanzania and Republic of Rwanda in the south.

Area:

Total 241,550.7 km2;land 199,807.4 km2; open water

and

swamps41,743.2 km2

Population:

Year

2007

2010

2011

Total

30,263,000

31,848,169

32,939,800

Female (%)

51

51.2

51.2

Male (%)

49

48.8

48.8

Capital:

Kampala

Time zone:

GMT + 3

Land use:

Arable land

–

21.57%; permanent crops–

8.92%; others–

69.51%

Independence day:

9th

October 1962

Constitution:

Republic

Economic and other indicators

GNP (nominal) Billion

US $ 17 billion

GDP Per Capita Growth Rate

2.6%

Real GDP Growth Rate

6.3%

Budget Deficit

10.6%

Long Term Debt

US $ 4.76 bilion

Workers’ Remittances

US $ 79 million per month (2009)

Trade Exports

US $ 2.43 billion

Trade Imports

US $ 4.544 billion

Literacy rate

Life Expectancy

Labour force employment by sector

65.4% agriculture; 26.8% service; 7.6% industry

vii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1

1.0

INTRODUCTION

1.1

National context

Uganda is located in East Africa and lies astride the Equator between latitude 4o

N and 1o

S andlongitudes 29.5o

E and35o

E. It is bordered by the Republic of South Sudan in the north, theDemocratic Republic ofCongo in the west,Republic ofKenya in the East, andUnited Republic ofTanzania and Republic of Rwanda in the south.The country has an area of 241,550.7 km2

ofwhich 41,743.2 km2

are open water and swamps, and 199,807.4 km2

is land.

Uganda experiences a

range of climatic conditions depending on topography, local relief andgeographical location. Its annual rainfall figures vary widely following the above parameters,with a range of 500-2,200 mm.The drier areas receive barely 500-1,000 mm annually, mostofwhich is erratic in frequency and distribution (MWLE, 2001). The country is heavily dependenton natural resources such as forests, rivers and lakes for its development.

The country

is well endowed with a rich biodiversity of both plant and animal species. Recentstudies indicate anoccurrence

of over 18,783 plant and animal species, with at least 50% of thefamed mountain gorillas, over 1,000 bird species, over 7% of global mammal species, andunique game. Mot of Uganda’s biodiversity is in protected areas (forest reserves and wildlifeconservation areas) but there is also a lot of biodiversity on private land. This rich biodiversityoffers a comparative advantage in bio-trade and national development. However, there is rapiddeterioration of the quantity and quality of these natural resources as a result of high populationpressure and economic activities

Uganda

had a total population of 31.8 million by mid 2010, and average population density of123 persons/km2, with 14.8% leaving in urban areas. The sex ratio of the total population is 95

males per 100 females (UBOS, 2010). Uganda’s infant mortality rate is 76 per 1000 live birthsand life expectancy averages 50.4 years. Uganda has a youthful population structure, with 56.1%of the population aged lessthan 18 years, and more than half of the population (51%) females.(UBOS, 2010).

TheGross Domestic product (GDP) for the Fiscal Year 2009/10 was about US$ 17 billion, withagriculture (crops, livestock, forestry and fishing) accounting for nearly 24% of the total GDP. In2009, it was estimated that close to 25% of Ugandans live below the national poverty line, withrural poverty currently about 34% and urban poverty at 14%. (UBOS, 2010).

Its economy and people

rely heavily on the agricultural sector that is largely natural resourcesbased. The sector accounts for 22.5% of GDP, 48% of exports, 68% of household livelihoodsand provides a large proportion of the raw materials for industry. Over 93% of Ugandans dependon wood-based fuel resources while the electricity consumption per capita was about 69.5 kwh in2009. Other sectors such as tourism and fisheries are also natural resources-based.

Poverty is still wide spread withclose to 25% of Ugandans live below the nationalpoverty line, with

rural poverty currently about 34% and urban poverty at 14% (UBOS, 2010).

Uganda has a youthful population structure with a significantly high dependant percentage,coupled with the high unemployment rate poses a serious challenge to sustainable development.

Inequality in distribution of resources among Ugandans remains widespread, with regionaldisparities in income distribution. These imbalances need to be addressed if sustainabledevelopment is to be achieved.Uganda’s economy and her population rely heavily onthecountry’s natural capital, withagriculture

marginalizationand powerlessnessof some sections of society,such as women and other marginalize groups is a serious hindrance to their participation innational development initiatives.

The country has also continued to experience both natural andman made disasters which have

affected the country’s sustainable development endeavours.

1.4

The Rio+20 Conference

Twenty years after the 1992 UNCED in Rio de Janeiro, the United Nations will hold anotherconference pursuant to the General Assembly Resolution 64/236 (A/RES/64/236) inthe samecity. The Rio+20 conferenceaims at strengthening commitment and political will to pursueSD,assess progressin implementation of the

outcomes oftheSD

processes to date, addresstheoutstanding gapsas well as thenew and emerging challenges.

The themes of this Conferencewill be (i) a green economy in the context ofSD

and poverty eradication; and (ii) the institutionalframework forSD.

1.5

Objectives of the Rio+20 national report

This report has been prepared with the objectives of:

1.

taking

stock of Uganda’s progress, and identify

emerging issues and challenges inimplementation of Agenda 21 and otherSD

commitments;

2.

identifying

the key issues, challenges and opportunities for Uganda’s transition to a greeneconomy in the context ofSD

and poverty eradication;

3

3.

proposing

aninstitutional frameworkforSD

inUganda; and

4.

making

recommendations, means of implementation and specific actions that the countryshould take in the next decade or so to attain

SD.

4

2.0

METHODOLOGY

The Rio+20 National Report

preparation process consisted of three inter-linked phases. Theseare: (a) Preparation of stock taking reports for the three Rio+20 pillars, namely (i) environment,(ii) economic and (iii) social pillars, as well as institutional and governance issues; (b) Multi-stakeholder consultative meeting on Rio+20; and (c) Preparation of a National Synthesis Reportbased on the stock taking reports and the multi-stakeholder meeting. A National PreparatoryCore Team (NPCT) was constituted to guide the report preparatory process. Four consultantswere hired to carry out assessments on the four themes related to SD in Uganda. A Civil SocietyOrganizations (CSOs) meeting and a national stakeholders’ workshop on Rio+20 were held toreview and provide additional input to the report. A National Consultant was hired to prepare theNational Report basing on the synthesis of the stocktaking reports and the multi-stakeholdermeeting.

5

3.0

PROGRESS IN NATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT COMMITMENTS

3.1

National commitment

to integrated planning

and sustainable development

Uganda hassince 1992put in place national instruments to facilitate the drive towardsachieving

ofsustainable development

and a green economy.Among these instruments arethe NationalConstitution

(1995), the National Development Plan (NDP) 2010/11–

2014/15 and a wide rangeof sector policies, plans, legislation as well as institutional arrangementsaddressing sustainabledevelopment.

The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda explicitly spellsout the commitment of the peopleof Uganda to building a better future by establishing a socio-economic and political order basedon the principles of unity, peace, equality, democracy, freedom, social justice and progress.It

also provides for formulation

of a National Planning Framework, the National Development Plan(NDP). The NDP (2010/11-2014/15) stipulates Uganda’s medium term strategic direction,development priorities and strategies for national development. It provides for the Vision ofUganda as “A transformed Uganda society from a peasant to a modern and prosperous countrywithin 30 years. It is expected that Uganda will “graduate” to the middle income economy by2017. The vision provided the direction of the theme of the current NDP, which is “Growth,Employment and Socio-Economic Transformation for Prosperity”. The Vision attributes are (a)independence and sovereignty; (b) democracy and the rule of law; (c) stability and peace; (d)knowledgeable and skilledsociety(e) able to exploit and use its resources gainfully andsustainably; (f) effectively participate in a federated East Africa with an effective AfricanCommon Market and a strong African Defence Mechanism.

A number

of policies and laws that guidethe country’ssustainable development agenda

As of 2010/11,the contribution to the national GDP by sectors wasagriculture24%,

industry 27% and services 49%1.On the other hand, the share of the labour force employedinthe major sectorsin 2009/102

stood

atagriculture66%,services28%

and manufacturing6%.

Ugandamobilizes

financial resourcestoimplement sustainable development commitments

fromher public and private resources.Uganda’s share of the national budget financed fromdomestically generated revenue has more than doubledfrom 31.7% in 1992 to over 70% in 2010(MFPED, 2011).Substantial financing for sustainable development comes

from the country’s tax

1

(MFPED, 2011) , AEPR

2

UBOS (2010), National household survey

7

base. Uganda’s tax effort as measured by the Revenue/GDP ratio rose from 8.6%

in 1992/93 toaround 13.5%3

in 2010/11. This revenue/GDP ratio is

moving steadilytowards theSub-SaharanAfrica averagewhichstands at about 20%. This is because Uganda’s economy is still largely

subsistent in nature with a low industrial base as well as limited tax base.Total domestic revenueis expected to

improve with the anticipated commencement of commercial oil production inUganda in the near future.

Non-tax revenue collections, improved budget transparency and

accountability also increasedover

the past two decades. This has been largely a result ofPublic Financial ManagementReforms

as well asintroduction ofa number of changes inthe associated legal framework including the Budget Act (2001).

Official Development Assistancecontinues to be the

main source of external funding to fill thegap inUganda’spublic expenditure.Total

disbursements of long-term debt to Ugandabetween1990 and 2009amounted to approximately USD 5.5 billion (UNCTAD). As of 2009,significantsteps had been taken to reduceUganda’s outstanding total long-term debtfrom a peak of USD4.4 billion in 2004 down toUSD 2.24 billion. Uganda has over the same period paid outapproximately USD 1.68 billion in debt service obligations. The decline inUganda’stotal debt

stock isalso

attributed to the country’s debt cancellation under the Heavily Indebted PoorCountries Initiatives (HIPC I &II). Uganda is also a major beneficiary of Aid for Trade,ranking

second after Nigeria among the recipients of Aid for Trade (AfT) in 2009 with commitmentstotaling USD 1 million (ECA, 2012)4.

Uganda’s public expenditure as a share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased from19.8% in 1992/93 to 24.2 % in 2001/02 and as of 2010/11, it stood at 22.6%5.

Of the 8 keyprogramme areas

under Agenda 21,

education attracted the largest share of approved funding(over 20%) across the period 1997/98 to 2003/04. The Environment and Natural Resourcessector on the other hand registered the largest increase in approved budget allocations with a 44-fold increase over the same period.

Uganda set a target of reducing the proportion of theabsolutepoor

from 44% in 1997 to 10% in 2017. Governmenthasalso undertaken two participatory

poverty assessments in 1999 and 2004 to incorporate views of the poor in government planning.Due to a number of measures, income poverty level which stood at 56% in 1992 declined to24.5% in 2010. (UBOS, 2012; MoFPED, 2012). These measures include: putting in place socialand economic policies and programs to eradicate poverty. Key among these are the 1997 PovertyEradication Action Plan (PEAP) which focused more on economic growth and its successor the2010 National Development Plan that is more oriented towards sustainable development.

3

MFPED (2011)

4

MDGR 2012

5

MFPED (2011: 9), AEPR

8

Uganda’s

transport systemisdominated by the road transportestimatedto carry

96.5% of cargofreight and 95%of passenger’skm per annum.

Reforms in the road sector in the last 7 yearscreated the Uganda National Roads Authority with the responsibility of developing andmaintaining national roads. A Uganda National Road Fund meant to be a road maintenance fundwas also created.The national road network in estimated at

78,100 Km of which3,050 kms

arepaved(NDP,

2010). Total annual traffic flow on national roads in 2003 was computed to be3,756 million vehicles per km.

The recorded growth of traffic from 1997 to 2007 was 7.3% forcars, 5.4% for light good vehicles, 11.4% for mini buses, 4.8% for buses, 9% fortrucks.(NDP,2010).

Over 90% of the national energy demand in Uganda is met from wood

fuelresourceswhicharebecoming alarmingly scarce. Thisprompted the development of a National Biomass EnergyDemand Strategy (2001-2010)

to ensure steady supply and efficient use of biomass energy.

Hydro

electricity

remains the major source of power for industries, institutions and urban areasin general. According to the NDP (2010/11-2014/15), Uganda’s electricity consumption percapita was about 69.5 kwh in 2009.Reforms in the energy sector divested management ofelectric power to autonomous and private companies. The Electricity Regulatory Authority

therural electrification function under a public-private partnership. REA is mandated to facilitate theGovernment's goal of achieving a rural electrification rate of at-least 10% by the year 2012upfrom 1% at the beginning of the decade.

A

number of initiativeshave been implementedtodeliver on thecountry’senergy demands.Among these are thePromotion of Renewable Energyand Energy Efficiency Programme (1999-2011); and the Uganda Energy for RuralTransformation Project Phase I (2003-2009).

Uganda’s electricity demand increased to 539.5 MW in 2010 while power generation capacityover the same period was only 352.5 MW for hydropower and 170 MW for thermal power(UBOS, 2011).With the commissioning of the newly built250 MW Bujagali hydropower dam

in early 2012,the ongoing development of the 650 MW Karuma hydropower dam and theplanned use of some of the newly found oilresource for thermal power generation provide hopefor Uganda to adequately address her power needs over the next decade.

Government has implemented various

reformsaimed at ensuring

a swift transition from publicsector driven toaprivate sector led industrial development

and

creating a business friendlyenvironment to improve productivity and the quality of productsto

become more competitive inthe global economy.The Medium Term Competitive Strategy (2005-2009) and its successor, theCompetitiveness and Investment ClimateStrategy (CICS), were key in boosting the industrialsector development.Overall, industry accounted for 27% ofnationalGDP in 2010/116. Theconstruction industrysub sectorhas the fastest annual growth rate, averaging 11% in 2009/10. Italso commands the largest share (61%) of industrial GDP followed by manufacturing with ashare of 27%. The other sub-sectors account for a

combined share of only 12% of industrialGDP.

6

(MFPED, 2011), AEPR 2011/12

9

3.3

Progress in environmental

developmentsectors

In an effort to strengthensustainable land use and management, Uganda has developed sector-wide guiding frameworks, namely, the Land Sector Strategic Plan (LSSP) and the StrategicInvestment Framework (SIF) for sustainable land management (SLM). These frameworks aim at

The SLM investment framework puts emphasison strengthening theenabling environment for SLM, scaling up on the ground community level SLM practices,enhancing research and knowledge management and coalition building among various actors forSLM. The SLM SIF has already leveraged investments with financial support from domestic aswell as multilateral and bilateral development cooperation.

Some of the projects being implemented in this context include the Agricultural Technologiesand Advisory Services (ATAS) project; Sustainable Land Management inthe “cattle corridor”;COMESA funded National Climate Resilient

ConservationAgriculture

Programme; StimulatingCommunity Initiatives in SLM; National Livestock Productivity Improvement Project; and theFarm Income Enhancement and Forest Conservation Project, to mention but a few.Furthermore,institutions that deal with land and natural resourceshaveintegrated environment

and naturalresource management issues into their planning processes.Guidelines for mainstreamenvironment issueshave also been integratedin the performance monitoring schemes

andplanning cycles ofdistrictlocal governments.Currently a policy on climate change is also underdevelopment.

Uganda has strengthened research and training institutionsto generate technologies andapproaches in support of sustainable development. Theseinclude the Uganda National Councilfor Science and Technology (UNCST), the National Agriculture Research Organization(NARO), National Forestry Research Institute (NAFORI), National Fisheries Research Institute(NAFRI), and Makerere University,

among others. NARO has since 2003 developed up to

218improved varieties, breeds and

prototypes for increased yields, food security and incomes.Inaddition, a number of studies have been conducted to establish the economic value of Uganda’snatural resources. For example,Bushet al.

billion annually. Results of such studieshave facilitated evidence based decision making on management of these ecosystems.

Management and safe disposal of waste, including solid waste and sewage, hazardous and radio-active waste and toxic chemicals are key actions in greening the economy. Uganda’s effort tothis end includes the development of policies, legislation and strategies put in place after 1992 to

7

Bush G., Nampindo, Aguti and Plumptre (2004)

8

Moyini

Y.,

E.Muramira

, L. Emerton and

F.

Shechambo

(1999). The Costs of Environmental Degradationand Loss to Uganda’s Economy with Particular Reference to PovertyEradication. IUCN–

The WorldConservation union, Nairobi. Policy Brief No. 3.

10

manage waste; and the polluter pays principle being used to discourage release of the hazardouswaste into the environment. Using this principle, the National Water and Sewage Corporation(NWSC) has put in place disincentives (fines) against industries that fail to comply. Strategiesfor sound

management of chemicalshave beenintegrated into the NDP

and

regulations on themanagement of hazardous chemicalsareenforcedby

each sector to guide the re-use andrecycling of the waste products.Government also announced a total ban of plastics of 100microns and below in June 2009,although

enforcement hasnot been effective. Regardingimportation of chemicals,there are no regulationsin placeapart from imposing disincentivesonimportersthrough taxation.

Measures for recycling of solid waste include improvement in the collection, transportation anddisposal of the solid waste and sensitization of the urban communities on solid wastemanagement in 18 Municipal Councils by a Solid Waste Compost production projectimplemented in partnership with NEMA. However the development of cottage industries forutilizing solid waste including the recycling

and reuse of non-biodegradable products, e.g. plasticand polythene materials is still relatively low and limited mainly to the production of mats, ropesand beads for sale

locally.

Since 2008, Uganda put in place legal, policy and institutional measures for use of atomic energyand safe disposal of radioactive waste. Atomic energyrelated activities aremainly inthehealthand agricultural sectors, and are coordinated and monitored by the

Ministry of Energy andMineral Development (MEMD).Radio-active materials are

imported by licensed companies; andafter use, the waste generated isaccumulated and re-exported. NEMA is responsible forreviewing and evaluating the appropriateness of methods proposed by developers and/orindustrialists, before approving the EIA studies. This ensures that issues concerned with radio-active materials are addressed.

In 1997, Uganda

developed the Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA) as a multi-sectoralframework for agriculture and rural development. The PMA

targeted over 80% of Ugandansliving

in rural areas focusing

onimprovingthe quality of life of poor subsistence farmersas wellas contributing to achievement of the MDGs 1 and 7 onpoverty eradication

and

ensuringenvironmental

sustainability, respectively.

The follow-onagricultural sector DSIPputs moreemphasis onenhancing production and productivity; improving access to and sustainability ofmarkets; creating an enabling environment for competitive investment in agriculture; andenhancing institutional development in the Agricultural sector (MAAIF, 2010).Othercomplementary strategies include theProsperity for All(Bonna Bagaggawale)

and theRuralDevelopment Strategy

(2005) which focus

on increasing the productivity of selected ruralenterprises at the household level

and ensuring a stablemarket for these products. The Strategyalso encouraged renewed attention to the formation and operation of rural cooperativeinstitutions. Government strategy to enhance rural financial services includes establishingSACCOs in every one of

the almost 1,000 sub-counties andproviding infrastructural andcapacity-strengthening support for this purpose.

To further support

rural development efforts in the agricultural sector, a number ofparastatalinstitutionshave been established by legal instruments since 1992. These include theNationalAgricultural Advisory Service (NAADS), the National Agricultural Research Organization(NARO), the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, the Cotton Development Organization,

11

and the Dairy Development Authority.Similarly, civil-society organisationssupporting ruraldevelopmentin the agricultural sector

include

the Uganda National Farmers Federation(UNFFE)

and National Organic Agriculture Movement (NOGAMU).

TheNAADS program has since 2002, created substantial positive impacts on the availability andquality of advisory

services provided to farmers, promoting the adoption of new crop andlivestock enterprises, and improving the adoption of modern agricultural production technologiesand practices. Furthermore, NAADS also has promoted greater use of post-harvest technologiesand commercial marketing of commodities. Government considers agriculture’s ability togenerate income for the poor to be more important for food security than its ability to increaselocal food supplies. In this respect, the NAADS programme is providing 650,000 farmerscountry wide withfood

security related technologies for multiplication as well as for ensuringhousehold food security and is planning to increase it 10 fold (MAAIF, 2010).

Over 80% of childrenfrom poor householdsare now able to attend schoolcompared to just 51% beforeUPE9

was introduced in 1996. Enrolment in primary schools grewfrom about 3 million in 1996 to 8.3 million in 2009. The number of pupils in public schools inthe UPE scheme doubled from 1.1 million in 1996 to 2.3 million in 2007.The introduction ofUSE has as well improved school enrolmentat secondary level,increasing it by25% from814,087 in 2006 to 1,165,355 students in 2009, with girls constituting 45.6% of total enrolment.Governmentalso

shifted its focus from the provision of general education to promote theteaching of Sciences in Secondary education.

Since 1999a

strategy toliberalize provision ofUniversity Education opened up the licensing ofPrivate Universitieswas adopted. The strategyincrease access to

university education

bringing the number of public and private universities to5 and 28, respectively by 2011.In addition to the Universities, there are other

46 private and 50government owned tertiary institutions.

These efforts have opened opportunities for moreUgandans to find rewarding employment and have supported development of a more skilledpopulation to manage natural resources sustainably.

The affirmative action towards women’s training has enhanced gender equity in access toeducation and development, thus increasing their opportunities to participate in sustainabledevelopment. The UPE programme has increased overall enrolment of girls from 2.7 million in1995 before the programme started to over 3.7 million by 2007 (MoES, 2007). The affirmative

action was adopted by public universities, and has increased proportions of female enrolment asundergraduates from less than 23.9% in 1991to 45.2% by 2006 (MGLSD, 2007).

Regardingwomen and girls who might have missed education in their early years, government with supportfrom civil societyorganizations has initiated several Functional Adult Literacy (FAL)

9

The National Development Plan 2010/11-2014/15.

12

programmes. FAL has over the years 2009/10-2011/12 enrolled a total of

974,855 learners withwomen being the main beneficiaries contributing over 70% of enrolled participants.

The USEprogramme has targeted Orphans and other Vulnerable Children (OVC) who would otherwisedrop out of school for lack of school fees. Other achievements in the education sector includedthe provision of bursaries and scholastic materials to children and youths.

Health Development Sector

Uganda has made notable efforts towards improving health for sustainable development

byintroducinghealth reforms to guide health care service delivery.The

Health Sector Strategy

andInvestment Plan (HSSIP) has been implemented

over 10 years and is in its third phase (2010/11-2014/15). The HSSIP addresses a number of Rio targets such asmalaria, childhood diarrhoea,polio, guinea worms,appropriate health care-seeking, and the importance of child immunizationand Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission services.

Otherhealth sector reformsimplementedsince the 1990s include decentralization of health services and promotion of

private sector involvement in health care service delivery to reach out to more Ugandans.Expansion of

available health care facilities from 3,443 in 2004 to 4,394 in 2010 whichdrastically reduced the distance to access health services. The abolition of user fees in publicprimary health care facilities in 2001 led to an increase in utilization of healthcare servicesamong the population,

especially the poor.

As a resultof these reforms,there has been

significant improvement in health indicators asfollows. A

reduction of confirmed cases of measles from 580 in 2006 to only 22 in 2009 and a20% reduction in malaria cases among outpatients. Conversely, the proportion of childrenreceiving effective treatment of malaria within 24 hours after the onset of symptoms hasincreased from 25% in 2001 to 71% in2008 (MoH, 2010).

Under 5 years mortality improvedfrom 156 in 1995 to 137 deaths per 1,000 live birth in 2006 (UDHS, 2006), while infant

mortality decreased from 85 to 54 deaths in 2011 per 1,000 live births (NPA, 2010).Reproductive health has improved with fertility rate reducing from 7.1 in 1992 to 6.2 in 2011.Maternal mortality rate reduced from 506 deaths per 100,000 live births in the 1990s to 435 in2006 (UDHS, 1995; 2006), and life expectance has also improved from 45 years in 2003 to 52

years in 2008 (MoH, 2010).HIV prevalence reduced from 23% in1992 (MoH, 1993) to 6.4% in2011 for the reproductive age population (MoH, 2011). These trends show a generalimprovement in health indicators of the population largely due to measures that have enabled thepoor to access health services.

Decentralization

In 1993,

Uganda adopted a decentralization policydivestingdecision-making on developmentissues to sub-national levels

with the aim of bringing services closer to the people. This aims atstrengthening local governance structures by devolving service delivery, promoting participationand empowering local people. In this regard, District and Sub-County Development Plans are thebasic planning instruments to guide action and budget allocation.TheMinistry of LocalGovernment (MoLG)

builds capacity of local governments for effective service deliveryincluding management of natural resources taking into account national policies. Governmentalso introduced the Fiscal Decentralisation Strategy (FDS) that gives Local Governments some

13

flexibility and/ or discretion to reallocate resources between and within sectors during planningand budgeting processes.

The decentralization governance approach has empowered localcommunities to manage their development activities based on their own priorities.

Democratization

The democratization process in Uganda advanced significantly following the enactment of the1995 Constitution. A number of democratic institutions have been put in place in line with theconstitution. The three arms of Government namely the legislature,the Executive and theJudiciary are in place and functioning with varying degree of respect for each other’sconstitutional mandate. Parliament continues to exercise its constitutional mandate and hasstrengthened a number of institutions for promoting democracy and good governance. Theseinclude the Electoral Commission (EC), Inspectorate of Government (IGG), the Auditor General(with enhanced powers) and the Uganda Human Rights Commission, among others. Uganda hasalso held over 4 general elections every5 years since 1996 for presidential, parliamentary andlocal government leaders. The last two general elections have been held under a multi-partysystem.Uganda’s democratic process has created a favourable environment and encouragedincreased participation in politics and decision making for sustainable development. Inparticular, womens’ participation has been enhanced by the provisions in the constitution thatallocate quotas for women seats in the National Parliament and local government councils. This

has resulted in a rise of the proportion of women in local councils from 6% in early 1990s to44% in 2003, and women Parliamentarians from 18.8% in 1996 to 30.4% in 2006.

Media

The Media has been liberalized and is relatively free with both electronic and print mediaproviding citizens with ample opportunities to express their views on a wide range of issues thataffect their lives. At the same time, Uganda has seen a dramatic emergency of non-governmentalorganizations and civil society organizations able and willing to engage the arms of Governmentin policy debates and advocacy on democracy and good political governance issues

Workers organizations

Uganda’s annual labour force stood at about 11.5 million people in 2009/10 and is growing fastat an annual rate of 4.5%. Measures

to improve

conditions at work places, as well as enhancinggender and age based equity in access to employment have been initiated. The labourmanagement information system and work place inspections by governmentfor examplehave

been strengthened. In addition

occupational safety and health hasbeen

mainstreamed in somesectors including the transport sector and the roads sub-sector since 2004. Labour organizationshavealsobeen strengthenedwith the National Organization of Trade Unions (NOTU)registering

20trade unions in various sectors. Furthermore, workersare represented on severalpolicy level institutions such as Parliament, the National Social Security Fund Board andImmigration Board. Uganda is also promoting the externalization of labour, and to

date, over11,000 Ugandans have been placed in jobs abroad.All these achievements are

in line withAgenda

21 recommendation for strengthening the role of workers and their trade unions.

Civil Society Organizations’

14

TheUgandaNational NGO forum was established in 1997 as

an independent, collective voicefor civil society in areas of Advocacy and Lobbying to engage in a more effective way, on publicpolicies so that they reflect the views and concerns of the poor.NGOs have also

developed otherlinkages and networks to improve their capacities and coordination. These include theDevelopment Network of Indigenous Voluntary Associations (DENIVA), Uganda Debt Network(UDN), National Association of Women’s Organizations in Uganda (NAWOU), and the HumanRights Network (HURINET) are examples of such networks.

NGOs areSub contracted byGovernment for service delivery

especially in

health and education

sectors. Similarly,severaldistricts actively involve NGOs in the process of developing their comprehensive plans,integrating NGO activities in the overall district plans.

from 1.7 million (11.3%) in 1991to 5 million (15%) in 2012. The population growth rate in urban areas is currently at 5.1% and isattributed to high rural-urban disparities in terms of opportunities for employment and othersocial services. The current urban population growth rate is high and has not matched with theslow growth and development in basic physical infrastructure such as housing, social amenitiesand management of urban areas.Uganda’s decentralized

governance approach has enabled localgovernments to do their own urban planning, creating

a good context for planning urban centresbased on local needs and resources. The creation of more administrative units in the country hasalso influenced urbanization, by increasing planned urban centres to 22 municipalities. Theurbanization process has come with some economic benefits, especially markets from theinformal sector, which dominates Uganda’s economy. The country has also established solidwaste management facilities in 9 municipalities and intends to support 9 others.

10

WasNet Performance Report, FY 2010/11

11

UN Habitat, 2008. Country programme document 2008-2009: Uganda

15

3.5

Challenges toand opportunities for enhancingsustainable development

Despite the notable achievements registered, there are several challenges and opportunities toachieving sustainable development in Uganda. These are presented below.

3.5.1

Challenges

•

Policy issues

and institutional–

These includelack of a national land policy, weakinstitutionalcapacities, poor coordination, etc. leading

The on-going investment in development of cleanrenewable energysources such ashydro, solar, biogas, geothermal, etc. is a big opportunity to enhance Uganda’s economicdevelopment in a sustainable manner.



Uganda’s oil sector has a high potential to contribute to Uganda’s economictransformation because of the significant revenue expected in the near future. Therevenues will contribute to infrastructure development, especially roads, renewableenergy and railway.



The planned investment in development of transport infrastructure such as railway andwater transport systems as well as on-going efforts to expand the road network andintroduce mass transport systems will improve traffic flow and reduce GHGemissions.

Uganda has taken initiative, as provided for by the National Constitution, to develop a long termnational development framework–

the Vision 2040. This vision outlines the medium and longterm strategies the country will take to adopt a development pathway that will lead toachievement of a green economy in the context of sustainable development and povertyeradication. Under the Vision, Ugandans aspire to live and work in a peaceful, secure,harmonious and stable country, where rule of law prevails and respect for human rightsobserved. The citizenry desire to have a country with strong democratic governance structuresand systems. Uganda’s Vision is “A transformed Ugandan society from a peasant to a modernand prosperous country within 30 years”. It is envisaged that the country will transform to amiddle income economy by 2017 and reach per capita income

of about US $ 9,500 by 2040. TheVision goal is “A competitive upper middle income country by 2040”. To achieve this goal,Uganda needs to multiply her GDP 30 times in the next 30 years.

The current conditions in Uganda call for re-enforcement of action to bring about changetowards environmental sustainability, sustainable consumption and production, climateresilience, resource use efficiency, decent jobs creation, adequate public participation, goodgovernance and sustainable population growth. These are critical ingredients towards a greeneconomy that can be achieved through well integrated actions in the natural resourcemanagement as well as social and economic sectors

as described below.

4.1

Resource efficiency

Achieving a green economy calls for resource efficiency in the production function of theeconomy and factor productivity. This should be defined as it relates to sustainable land use andmanagement; human resource training and skills development; researchandtechnology

development and transfer; and resource mobilization.

4.1.1

Sustainable land use and management

Uganda can

achieve sustainable development

and a green economy by focusing onsustainablemanagement

and useof thelandand water resources owing to the high dependence on naturalcapital particularly agriculture and other land based natural resources.Building

the knowledgebase onthe state of natural resourcesincluding

theirvaluation,assessment of the costanddriversofland degradation and the benefits of investing in sustainable land management should be thestarting point.The knowledge generated should justify andinfluencedecision makers to allocateadequatebudget to Natural Resource Management sectors

for scaling

up

on the groundinvestmentinSLM.

Land use planning should be promoted and land use change especially theconversion of forests and wetland areasto other usesshould be minimized

and call for strongerpolitical will.

Transforming to a green economy

in thepredominantly rain-fed agriculturalsystems

of Ugandacalls for the adoption of sustainable

and efficienttechnologies. Thesetechnologies should include,

among others, agricultural intensification technologies, sustainableirrigation and mechanization systems which should be re-enforced by increased access to

markets.

Institutional measures for effective enforcement of relevant policies and laws

and USE has enabled Uganda increasing literacy levels significantly.However, providing quality education to produce graduates with required skills to meet themarket requirements is still a challenge. To achieve a skilled human resource Uganda needs tobuild a strong education system that imparts relevant knowledge and skills by(i) increasing thenumber of vocational institutions to cater for those who may not continue with secondary andtertiary education; (ii) review the educationcurriculumand ensure

it is tailored to the demands ofthe local labour market;

and(iii)create incentives to stem migration of scientists to othercountries as

a result of low salaries, lack of facilities and limited professional advancement.

4.1.3

Research and technology development and transfer

Government recognizes research

and

technology development and transfer as critical areas in thedevelopment of a green economy.

As such,Ugandashouldbuildand strengthen the

capacitiesofhercentres of excellence in research andtechnology development. Technology transferof cleantechnologiesshould also beenhancedthrough targeted investments, innovation and skillsdevelopment, taking full advantage of international cooperation i.e. south-south and north-southpartnerships. Moreeffective mechanismsare neededto create the appropriate enablingenvironments to address technology transfer barriers at national and global levels,

intensified efforts to mobilize resources for sustainable development from domesticand external sources. However, with the emerging trend of reduced fund inflows from externalsources, Uganda needs toexpand hertax base, increase internally generated revenue andintensify public finance management reforms to improve accountability, transparency and stemcorruption. National budget allocation and public investment in the 8 key sustainabledevelopment programme

areas should also be increased significantly.

4.1.5

Waste management (re-use, reduce and recycling)

Uganda’s fast growing urban population and industrial sector are increasing the challenge ofwaste management. Greening of

Uganda’s economy therefore calls for development of efficientand safe systems of waste disposal. In particular, facilities for the destruction of hazardousmaterials should be established, recycling of solid waste and non-biodegradable materials shouldbe enhanced

and legislation put in place for the management of toxic chemicals. In general,

implementationof lawson

safe waste disposal requires more effective supervision andenforcement to realize the goal of a green economy.

4.1.6

Planned urbanization

Urban areas if well planned represent growing centres of industry, financial services, trade,education and other services that can support a green economy. Ideally, urban people enjoybetter incomes, a higher life expectancy and tend to maintain smallerfamilies. Urban areas arealso centres of entrepreneurship and innovation that attract talented and skilled workers. Todevelop towards a green economy, Uganda’s urban authorities should strengthen their planningand development controls and step up the provision of basic services such as water, sanitation,electricity etc. all of which contribute to sustainable urban growth. These measures should aim at

19

changing the unplanned nature of many urban settlements which has led to the proliferation ofslums, traffic congestion, air pollution and poor waste management.

Strategies to create employment, especially for the youths

should be enhanced tostem the high

unemployment, poverty and crime rates in Uganda’s urban centres. Urban authorities shouldbeadequately financedto plan and implementgreendevelopment programmes. This should includephysical infrastructure such as

roads,housing and other social amenities to march the urbanpopulation growth rate, bearing in mind that 80% of urban dwellers are low income.

Measures toimprove waste management should be diversified to address its generation, collection,segregation, and disposal methods including waste recycling

and management of industrialwastes and enforce the sanitation laws.

4.2

Inclusive growth

4.2.1

Poverty eradication

Despite the remarkable economic growth

in the last two decades, Uganda still faces challengesof poverty and low human development. Uganda’s success towards a green economy will bemeasured partly by the achievements in addressing poverty. Measures toimproving access of thepoor to education,

health care,

safe water and sanitation,

andotherresources, especially land

need to be intensified to attain sustainable development. Empowerment of the disadvantagedespecially women, youth andindigenous peopleshould be central in meeting

the objective onpoverty and equity

in the Uganda society.

4.2.2

Equity

(a)

Access to education

The introduction of UPE, USE and abolishing

cost sharing in public tertiary educationinstitutionsimprovedequity issues in

Uganda’s

education

system.

Public universitiesalso

introduced district quota systems to ensure equitable distribution of opportunities of access topublic universities under Government sponsorship.

These measures increased

access toeducation bythe poor, Uganda still requires stepping up investment and financing to theeducation sector for sustainable development.Financing of

the UPE programme

shouldparticularlybe increased in order toattain quality education

especially among hard-to-reachareas,increase remuneration for teachers and thenumber of secondary schools to meet thedemands for USE.The number of vocational institutions to cater for those who may not continuewith secondary and tertiary education should be increased. Steps should also be taken to ensurethat education is tailored to the demands of the local labour market. In addition, measures shouldbe taken to stem the high migration of scientists to other countries due to the low salaries, lack offacilities and limited professional advancements.

(b)

Access to health care

Ensuring equity in provision ofbasic healthservices

to

allUgandans requires a coordinatedapproach involving the citizens and the health sector asdescribed in Agenda 21.

A healthypopulation and labour force isimportant for a green economy. There should be adequatebudgetary allocation to the health sectorto

furtherimprove health indicators that are still far

20

below the MDGs targets. This should include financing for measures to increase the doctor topatient ratio, increase availability ofessentialdrugs and family planning services especially inrural health facilities, and address

HIV/Aids and

the neglected tropical diseases such as sleepingsickness, river blindness, and leprosy, which still occur and havehuge negative implications forsustainable development. There are also emerging health issues in northern Uganda e.g. noddingdisease that should be urgently addressed.

(c)

Access to safe water and sanitation

Regarding access to safe water and sanitation, 77%

of theUgandanshave

access to safe water,while latrine coverage at national level improved from 63% in 2008 to 68% in 2009 (UBOS,2010). However,

population growth rates inurbancentres outstrip coverage of water andsewerage facilities. This calls for

increasedinvestment in establishing and operating waste watertreatment plants and sewerage networks to serve the urban population including outside theCentral Business Districts in most towns of Uganda

(d)

Women empowerment

Principle 20 of Agenda 21 recognizes that women should have a vital role in environmentalmanagement and development. Their full participation is therefore essential to achievesustainable development.Despite several achievements towards promoting women’sparticipation in sustainable development, gender inequity remains prevalent. In general measuresshould be taken to strengthen women mobilization and empowerment programmes; improve thequality of Non Formal Adult Literacy Services; expand programmes to eliminategenderbasedviolence;

increase access to education opportunities beyond primary level for the girl child; andincreasing national funding for women’s programmes. In addition, several interventions towardsaffirmative action need to be implemented and a number of policies thathave remained in draftform for many years, such as the domestic relations bill, which was first drafted in 1965 shouldbe passed. The structural segregation against women into low paying sectors should be reversed.Half of the women (50%) are employed inthe three lowest paying sectors, that is, agriculture,household and quarrying, in comparison to 33% of men12.Thecultural values that underminegender equity should be discouraged.

(e)

Addressing Children and Youth issues

Uganda predominantly has a young population, and therefore, addressing children and youthsissues is critical for the attainment of sustainable development. Advancement of the role ofyouths and actively involving them in the promotion of economic and social development andthe protection of the environment is a keyrecommendation

in Agenda 21. It urges membercountries to establish procedures allowing for consultation and possible participation of youths ofboth genders, in decision-making processes with regard to the environment, involving

youths atthe local, national and regional levels. In response to this call, the Uganda government hasestablished several structures that are in support to this objective.Currently, children and youths

12

MoFED, 2009, budget framework paper 2009

21

comprise the biggest proportion of the national population, which calls foraccuracy ofinformation and reporting on their issues

and proper planning especially for their health,education and employment.Involvement of youths and integration of youth components in thedesign of national poverty alleviation programmes, for example, the National AgriculturalAdvisory Services (NAADS), should be prioritized. Access to jobs and vital informationrequired by the young people to enhance their opportunities and participation in sustainabledevelopment should also

be improved.

(f)

Care and protection of vulnerable groups

According to the NHS (2009), 38% of the children in Uganda are vulnerable. There are alsoabout 1.3 million elderly people in this category. In addition, over 7% of Uganda’s populationare people withdisabilities (PWDs). During the Vision period, a system of universal pension forevery citizen above 65 years will be adopted. Government will also develop and implementsocial protection systems to respond to the needs of the vulnerable groups.

4.2.4

Decent work and green jobs

Section 3

chapter29

of Agenda 21 recommends efforts for strengthening the role of workers andtheir trade unions. Among the targets for this objective are to promote ratification of relevantILO conventions, establishment of bipartite and tripartite mechanisms on safety and health,reduction of occupational accidents and diseases and to increase the provision of workers’training in the area of occupational health and safety, with the view to increase sustainabledevelopment.While many positive actions have been taken since 1992, a number ofinterventions are needed to realized decent work and green jobs for Uganda’s workers. Theseinclude: urgently formulation of a minimum wage policy; enforcing of the regulations and codeof conduct at work places; the formation and registration of unions in all organizations;strengthen advocacy for workers’ rights at their places of work; and strengthening OccupationalSafety and Health and Employment Services.

4.2.5

Agriculture and Rural development

Agriculture accounts for 22.8% of the GDP and employs 70% of the population (UBOS, 2010).With a high population growth rate and need to ensure food security, land use change associatedwith promotion of agricultural activities in Uganda is high. Thisis especially so regarding landuse change in forests and wetland areas. To transform to a green economy, there is need topromote the adoption of sustainable technologies through market incentives that increaseinvestment in sustainable land management practices, efficient irrigation and mechanization.These measures should be re-enforced by actions to increase access to markets, address unfairtrade policies and practices, including tariff and non-tariff barriers and protectionist policiesusually imposed

by developed countries. Agricultural systems should be made more efficient,productive and profitable especially for the resource poor to secure their livelihoods and ensurefood security as a strategy to adapt to climate change. Resilience of agricultural systems can bere-enforced through measures that enhance soil carbon, in addition to the benefits of adaptationto climate change particular conservation agriculture practices.

22

4.2.6

Decentralisation

In 1993, Uganda adopted the Decentralisation Policy as an instrument to deliver sub-nationaldevelopment, with the aim of bringing services closer to the people. Under this policy, planning,budgeting, administration, fiscal management and control and administration of justice underLocal Council Courts functions were devolved to local governments. As a result ofdecentralisation, there has been an improvement in service delivery in areas of education,primary health care, water and sanitation, roads and agriculture extension. In spite of theseachievements,Uganda needs to strengthen decentralisation through enhancing democratic andpolitical governance; ensuring efficient and effective administration; promoting local economicdevelopment initiatives; and enhancing good governance.

4.2.7

Combating corruption

Uganda

has established legal, policy and regulatory frameworks to support transparency andaccountability at all levels. This includes putting in place the Inspectorate of Government, Anti-Corruption Court and enactment of the Whistle Blowers Act. Overthe Vision 2040 period, thesepolicy, legal and institutional frameworks will be operationalised to strengthen publictransparency. The specific strategies include (a) computerization of information systems toincrease efficiency; (b) strengthening the legal frameworks for ethics and integrity; (c) promotingresult-based management within the public institutions; (d) strengthening Parliament’s legislativeoversight role; and (e) encouraging public access to information and data

4.2.8

Democracy

While Uganda has taken

significant steps to democratization, the country’s culture towardsconstitutionalism needs to further improve. Many institutions established in the legislative,executive and judicial branches of Government should fully embrace the ideals, principles and

practices of democracy. In addition the citizenry in general need to be empowered to engageeffectively in demanding their rights and insisting that institutions meet their obligations (NDP,2010).

4.2.9

NGOs and their Contribution to Sustainable Development

The objective of Agenda 21 is that by 1995, a mutually productive dialogue should beestablished at the national level between all Governments and non-governmental organizationsand their self-organized networks torecognize

While an enablingenvironment for the operation of the NGOs has been provided by the government, the policy andlegislative framework should be further improved. In addition thetechnical and institutionalcapacity of theNational NGOBoard should be enhanced to improve to delivery of

efficient

andeffective services. On the other hand,

NGOs should endeavor to spreadtheir activities to therural areas where they are most needed,avoid duplication of effort by other actors and improvetransparency and accountability inmanaging public resource at their disposal.

23

4.3

Low carbon growth

4.3.1

Sustainable transport

An efficient transport system is essential for social–economic transformation and a requisite fora green economy.Over-reliance on road transport

as is the case in Ugandais not a viable choicefrom a green economyperspective taking into account the high cost of road construction andmaintenance,high consumption and efficiency in

use of petroleum, traffic jams and associatedhighcarbon emissions. Ugandashould plan and

develop a standard gauge railway system withhigh speed trains for both passenger and cargo freight

Uganda’s fast growing economy calls for a responsive energy sector to meet the demands foreconomic growth. Increasing rural coverage of grid electricity has the potential to propel agro-based and cottage industries and enhance employment opportunities thereby contributing topoverty reduction and alternative livelihood systems among the rural populations. To achieve theVision targets, Uganda requires to develop 41,758 Mwatts by 2040, thus increasing theelectricity consumption per capita to 3,668 Kwh. Uganda will significantly exploit her hydro-power potential by developing largeand small hydro-power plants. The major ones are AyagoNorth, Ayago South, Karuma, Isimba and Murchison Bay. Other renewable energy sources suchas solar, wind, biogas and geothermal will also be developed. Development of nuclear energyfrom Uranium deposits will also be considered.

Current inefficiencies and losses incurred in transmission of grid power should be reduced

through use of appropriate materials and management practices. Likewise, measures to improveefficient use of energy in the manufacturing

and industrial sectors should be prioritized.SinceUganda’s main source of grid electricity is hydro-power,management of water catchmentsfeeding into the rivers and dams is critical and consistent with greening of the sector.Development of renewableenergy sources presents a big opportunity for Uganda’s drive to agreen economy. This, however, requires heavy investment in the technology and technicalexpertise beyond national means. There is a high potential for international cooperationespecially through bilateral, multilateral and the private sector support to address the investmentgaps.

24

4.3.3

Sustainable urbanisation

Urbanization in Uganda is characterized by unplanned construction leading to sprouting ofunplanned towns and slums.

Development has also been concentrated in Kampala, puttingenormous pressure on the city’s limited resources. By 2040, five regional cities are planned,including Gulu, Mbale, Mbarara and Arua. This will be guided by urban planning legislation,integrated

physical planning and strict development control. During the Vision period,Government will develop area physical master plans to guide the development of the “GreaterKampala” and other regional cities and towns. Social amenities such as health, education, etc.will be integral part of the sustainable urban development. Environment and waste management,including pollution control, wetland management and conservation of green areas will also bekey ingredients of this urbanization.

4.3.4

Sustainable housing development

The majority of Ugandans still live in indecent housing with lack of access to electricity, waterand sanitation facilities. By 2040, government will expand rural electricity coverage, water andsanitation facilities through provision of piped water and modern toilet facilities. Over thisBox 1.

Promoting Alternative Energy

Sources and Sustainable Use of Energy in Schools–

By UgandaEnvironmental Education Foundation (UEEF)

With more than 90% of Ugandans depending on wood fuel, forest cover has consistently declined over the years,with dare consequences on the general environment and mankind. In an effort to counteract this trend, UgandaEnvironmental Education Foundation (UEEF), a local Non Government Organisation (NGO), implemented a pilotproject titled “Promoting Alternative Energy Sources and Sustainable Use of Energy in Schools”. The project wasimplemented in 5 schools with the objectives of increasing knowledge, awareness and capacity to use andmanage alternative energy sources in Mukono District; and increasing the use of solar energy systems andimproved stove technologies, and exploit their commercial and economic potential. The interventions in eachschool included (i) establishing a school woodlot; (ii) construction of a demo

Through these interventions, significant savings were made by the schools in terms of expenditure on purchase offirewood. For example, during the second term of2007, Kojja Secondary School, with a total of 654 pupils, used 4tons of firewood costing Ushs. 240,000 while using the improved stove. This was down from the 12 tons usedduring the first term using the ordinary stove which costed the school Ushs. 720,000/= in firewood purchase. Thisresulted into savings of Ushs. 480,000/=, which was used to improve on other school facilities. Other impactsresulting from these interventions include reduced degradation of natural forests in the neighbourhood as lessfirewood was required by the schools; improved school performance since students were able to do their nightpreps using solar lighting; improved kitchen hygiene and health of cooks since the improved stoves do not emitsmoke; reduced theft of school propertyas the solar lighting improved security around the school; and schoolsacquired their own firewood sources from the planted woodlots.

The popular participation of all stakeholders and effective project implementation committees were pointed outby the beneficiaries as being largely responsible for the success of the project. A memorandum of understandingsigned between UEEF and each of the schools spelt out the roles and contributions to be made by each party. Asensitization workshop for Members of Parliament on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee andother policy makers held at one of the schools informed formulation of the renewable energy policy. In addition,a study tour that was organised for 30 schools from within Mukono district led to replication of the stoves in 12other schools. Therefore, the project was spot on in saving forests and enhancing national efforts towardsachievement of a green economy in context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

25

period, 2.8 million new housing units are planned to be constructed through private-publicpartnership with private sector to invest in constructing appropriate housing estates.

4.3.5

Green industrialization

Uganda aims to transform into modern and prosperouseconomywithin a generation andindustrialization is core to this transformation process (NDP). Green industrialization meansemploying technology in the production of goods and services with low carbonemissions,efficient resource use anddecentjob creation.

andagric-industry linkages; support the young and weak domestic private sector; increase investmentin research and development, innovation and entrepreneurship; and increase foreign directinvestment in the industrial sector.

4.3.6

Sustainable tourism

Uganda is endowed with various tourism attractions. The main potential lies in nature-basedtourism where there is a variety of flora, fauna and beautiful sceneries. It estimated that thecountry has 50% of the mountain gorillas, 7% of the world’s mammal species, 11% of theworld’s birds species and a variety of butter flies. The country also has beautiful mountainranges, the second largest fresh water lake in the world, the third deepest lake and a source of theworld’s longest river (River Nile). These tourist attractions provide huge opportunity to boost thetourism sector and substantially increase the country’s foreign exchange earnings during theVision period.

26

Box 2.Promoting Community Tourism in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary by KAFRED

Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Development (KAFRED)

is a registered CBO implementing a BigodiWetland Sanctuary (BWS) community eco-tourism project in order to conserve the wetlands through the wise useof natural resources and simultaneously use tourism as a tool to develop the local community and eradicatepoverty.The wetlands form an important wildlife corridor, and are home to rich biodiversity, including over 200species of birds such as the rare Great Blue Turaco, warbler, kingfisher, crane and flycatcher, among others. Thereare also 8 species of primates such as the Black and White Colubus, RedColubus, Baboon, Grey CheekedMangabey, Red Tailed Monkey, Blue and Vervet Monkeys, and the L’Hoest Monkey. These attract significantnumbers of tourists to the area.

With participation of the local community and authorities, KAFRED put in place bylaws for

management of thewetlands, which halted their encroachment and ensured conservation of biodiversity. The revenues from tourismhave been used to build the only secondary school in the area, capitalise a loan scheme for the wetlands fringingfamilies, promote environmental education in the area, and supported a local women’s group producing artisanalhandicrafts. The CBO has also put in place a protected water source to reduce the community’s reliance onunsafe water from the wetlands and is presently constructing a health unit in order to increase maternal healthaccess for the community.

The initiative started with only 6 founder members in 1992 and presently has over 100 members. The high levelof community participation has been fundamental to the success of the initiatives. In 2010, KAFRED became theonly initiative to win the UNDP Equator Prize for a second time, following their first win in 2004. They haveconsistently demonstrated the benefits and potentials of community-based innovation for eco-tourism,conservation and development, and serve as a role model both within Uganda and internationally. This initiativeis one of the examples of community involvement in sustainable management of the natural capital thatenhances achievement of a green economy in the context of poverty eradication in Uganda.

27

4.4

Current development status and desired Vision 2040 targets

A

comparison of the present development status with the desired Vision 2040 targets issummarized in the table below:

Current development status and desired Vision 2040 targets

(Source: NPA, MoFPED)

No.

Development indicator

Baseline status

Target 2040

1.

Per capita income

US $ 506

US $ 9,500

2.

Poverty as % of population below poverty line

24.5

5

3.

Income distribution (Gene coefficient)

0.43

0.32

4.

Sectoral composition of GDP

Agriculture

23.8

10

Industry

24.9

31

Services

45.3

58

5.

Labour force distribution inline with sectoral contribution(%)

Agriculture

65.6

31

Industry

7.6

26

Services

26.8

43

6.

% share of national labour force employed

70.9

94

7.

Manufactured exports as % of total exports

4.2

50

8.

Gross capital formation as % of

GDP

24.1

30

9.

Saving as % of GDP

14.5

35

10.

ICT goods and services as % of total exports

0

40

11.

Electricity consumption per capita (Kwh)

75

3,668

12.

% population with access to electricity

11

80

13.

Water consumption per capita (m3)

26

600

14.

% population with access to safe piped water

15

80

15.

% of standard paved roads of total road network

4

80

16.

% cargo freight as rail to total freight

3.5

80

17.

% level of urbanisation

13

60

18.

Life expectancy at birth (years)

51.5

85

19.

Infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births

63

4

20.

Maternal mortality rate per 100,000 births

310

15

21.

Under 5 mortality rate per 1,000 live births

96

8

22.

Child stunting as % of under 5 years

33

0

23.

Literacy rate (%)

73

95

24.

Gender related development index (GDI)

0.51

0.90

25.

Population growth rate (%)

3.2

2.4

26.

Forest cover (% of land area)

15

24

27.

Water cover (% of total area)

8

13

28

5.0

INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Uganda’s National Development Plan (NDP) stipulates that implementation of sustainabledevelopment and other related frameworks for Uganda will be executed under the existingstructures within the central and local governments, according to the mandates and functions ofthe different institutions. Implementation of sustainable development initiatives is a sharedresponsibility of all stakeholders, including public and private sector, civil society, academia andlocal communities. Overall leadership for the implementation of the sustainable developmentagenda is vested in the President of Uganda who is appropriately represented at all levels withinthe existing institutional arrangements. To effectively implement sustainable developmentinitiatives, the national Sustainable Development Forum should be strengthened to regularlyreview progress. This forum should be embraced by the highest level of political commitment,with a secretariat hosted by the National Planning Authority. The Forum should comprise ofMinisters, Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Government Departments and Agencies, Privatesector and CSO representatives.

5.1

Institutional set up to facilitate sustainable development in Uganda

In order to achieve thesustainable developmentobjectivesenshrined in Uganda’sNDP, which isthe overarching Government development framework for social and economic development,sectors have been categorized under the following broad headings:

(i)

Primary growth sectors

–

These are sectors and sub-sectors that directly produce goodsand services. They include Agriculture, Forestry, Tourism, Mining, Oil and gas,Manufacturing, ICT, and Housing development sectors.

(ii)

Complementary sectors

–

These are sectors and sub-sectors that provide institutionaland infrastructural support to primary growth and other sectors. These include Scienceand technology, Transport, Energy, Water for production, Land management andadministration, Physical planning, Urban development, Trade development, Financialservices, and Cooperatives.

(iii)

Social sectors

–

These are sectors and

sub-sectors that provide services required formaintaining a healthy and quality population, and developing the required humanresource for effective engagement in profitable economic activities. They includePopulation, Labour and employment, Education and sports, Skills development, Healthand nutrition, HIV/AIDS, Water and sanitation, and Social development sectors.

(iv)

Enabling sectors

–

These encompass all sectors and sub-sectors that provide a conduciveenvironment and framework for efficient performance of all sectors of the economy.They include Legislature, Justice, law and order, National defence and security,Environment, Climate change, Water resources management, Meteorology, Wetlandsmanagement, Development of national statistics, Standards and quality infrastructure,Public sector management, Accountability, and Disaster management sectors.

The above categorization is to a large extent consistent with the economic, social andenvironmental sustainable development pillars, with the primary growth and complementary

29

sectors addressing the economic pillar, social sectors the social pillar and the enabling sectors theenvironment pillar.

5.2

Implementation

arrangements for sustainable development

Ministries and the Departments and Agencies under them are largely responsible for policydevelopment and monitoring and evaluation of policy implementation

at the national level.Overall, the Cabinet monitors implementation of sustainable development initiatives to ensurepolitical ownership and leadership. The cabinet also considers, approves and presents draftproposals to Parliament for consideration. On the other hand, Parliament ensures effectiveimplementation of sustainable development efforts through its oversight, legislative andappropriation functions. Parliaments’ sectoral committees scrutinize the proposals presented byCabinet before their general discussion and adoption by its plenary.

The Permanent Secretaries are accountable and responsible for the overall coordination andimplementation ofsustainable development initiatives within their respective sectors. TheMinistry of Local Government in liaison with the line ministries coordinates implementation ofsustainable development efforts by Local Governments. Within Local Governments, sustainabledevelopment initiatives are implemented at all levels starting with households, villages andparish. Coordination of these efforts is effectively managed at the sub county and district levels.The proposed structure for implementation of sustainable development (adapted from the NDP2010/11-14/15) is presented inFigure 1below.

30

Figure 1.Proposed structure of implementation of sustainable development agenda forUganda (Adapted from the NDP, 2010/11-2014/15)

To strengthen supervision of implementation of the sustainable development agenda, policy,technical and management meetings are held regularly at different levels under the chair of theirrespective Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, and

managers respectively. Similarly, policy,technical, and management meetings are held at all Local Government levels.

The variousGovernment MDAs and

local governments regularly report to Parliament onperformance of their respective sectors basing on their approved work plans and budgets.Parliamentary sectoral committee scrutinize performance of Ministries and districts to ensurethat the funds received from the treasury are used as agreed.

Sub-county policy,management andtechnical meetings

District policy, managementand technical meetings

Policy, management andtechnical meetings

NPA

(SD Secretariat)

Parliament

Village/ Households

Parish/ communityBarazas

Sub-counties

Districts

MDAs

OPM

H.E. The President

Cabinet Secretariat

PCC

ICSC

SWGs

Cabinet

31

The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MFPED) has a central role toplay of coordinating line ministries in the planning and budgeting processes. The MFPEDensures active participation of all stakeholders, including the general public, in all debates anddiscussions related to in planning and budgeting for

sustainable development The same is doneby the local governments. This is essential to ensure that the three sustainable developmentpillars (economic, environment and social) are allocated a fair share of resources to ensureequitable achievement of sustainable development across all sectors and regions.

5.3

Governance issues related to sustainable development

Uganda is fully committed to promoting good governance commitments in line with the tenet ofsustainable development. The countryhas developed the necessary institutional and strategicframeworks for public participation, democratization, accountability and transparency.

To ensure public accountability, transparency, effective and efficient management of servicedelivery, the following institutions and processes have been established: the Anti-corruptiondivision of the High Court established in 2009, the Inspector General of Government, theAuditor Generals Office, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority, andthe Department of Ethics and Integrity. Processes include: the National Anti-corruption Strategy(2009-2013), the Leadership Code (including declaration of assets by public servants), the ClientCharter (reflecting the right of citizens to demand for quality services from public institutions),and whistle blowing (as reflected in the Whistleblowers Protection Act of 2010).

Uganda operates under a multiparty political dispensation. The 2005Political Parties andOrganisations Act set the platform for conformity to democratic principles in internal partyorganization and practice.General elections are held every five years staring with hePresidential, Parliamentary and Local Council levels.Gender participation in politics has beenenhanced by the representation of women, youth and people with disabilities. Since 1997,environment and natural resource management was decentralized to local governments as part ofa broader process to increase local ownership and improve environmental planning andmanagement. This process is known as “mainstreaming”. There has also been affirmative actionon specific gender consideration in the implementation of government policies and programmes.Besides, budgeting processes integrate gender, HIV/AIDs and environmental concerns.

Civil society also plays a role in monitoring government programmes and private business.Uganda’s NGO sector continues to expand and involve the masses in scrutinizing governmentpolicies and programs. The enactment of the Access to Information Act (2005) facilitatescitizens’ access to public information and encourages public participation. The media has takenadvantage of this to freely and independently participate in enhancing access to information bythe public.

32

6.0

UGANDA’S RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE RIO+20 DOCUMENT ON “THEFUTURE

WE WANT”

Uganda

concurs with the draft Rio+20 outcome document, with proposals to put emphasis on thefollowing areas for the post-conference actions:



Boosting

theuse ofefficient renewable energy technologiesandcreating

high value productsin order to reduce over-reliance on natural capital. This calls

for

investment in

enhancementof

human capacity, research and development

to support the knowledge economy.



Since Uganda’s economy is natural resource based, the outcome document should putemphasis on promoting sustainable management and utilization of natural resources,including climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. Combating climate changecannot be achieved by individual countries, hence the need for the conference to come upwith global action towards combating climate change, including setting up of climate changefunds that can be accessed by developing countries at concessional rates to enable them tomitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.



The outcome document should emphasizeevidence-based information to justifyprioritization, increased investment and financing for environment and natural resourcesectors to inform decision makers in planning and budgeting processes.



The goals of the greeneconomy should not substitute but complement the other sustainabledevelopment related frameworks, which should also be stated in the outcome document. Anexample is the MDGs whose achievements should be continuously monitored as part ofachievement of a green economy.



Energy security is pivotal to Uganda’s sustainable development and achievement of a greeneconomy. Accordingly, Uganda embraces the UN Secretary General’s pioneer “SustainableEnergy for All” initiative to ensure universal access to modern energy services, double therate of improvement in energy efficiency and double the share of renewable energy in theglobal energy mix. The conference should come up with concrete strategies to operationalisethis initiative.



In addition to the numerous laws

and policies in place, effective regulation andimplementation of sustainable development efforts calls for reinforcement of institutionalmeasures and capacity to implement the existing legal and policy frameworks, taking intoaccount the use of innovation and positive incentives.



Knowledge generation through research should go hand in hand with strategies to create thecapacity to applyand

roll out new knowledge to promote sustainable development.



A balance between development and conservation should be

pursued in the course to achievesustainable development. Such should be the case, for example, in the application and use oforganicversus

inorganic farm inputs to realize the objectives of food security, improvedhousehold incomes and a healthy environment.

Sustainable population growth should aim at achieving a reduced fertility rate to avoid apopulation explosion, leading to unsustainable exploitation of resources by the highly naturalcapital dependant society.



Fair remuneration of human labour is a prerequisite for a green

economy. A clear policycommitment on a minimum wage in Uganda is necessary to improve productivity, efficiencyin the use of resources and effective delivery of services for sustainable development.



Weak local private sector entities in developing countries, such as Uganda, should bestrengthened through promoting and prioritizing their participation in public-privatepartnerships in order to genuinely achieve the objective of a private sector led economy.